Encounter Atlas
La Lechuza is a figure from Mexican and Tejano folklore: a witch, or a wronged woman, who takes the shape of a huge barn owl, sometimes with the face of an old woman. She is said to perch on rooftops and trees at night, and her whistle or cry is taken as a warning of death or bad luck. Parents in the Rio Grande Valley have long warned children that she snatches kids who stay out late.
Stories say salt, a prayer or a rosary can drive her off, and that a wounded lechuza turns back into a woman with matching wounds. Modern reports from South Texas describe an owl far too large to be real. The legend often blends with the 1976 Big Bird sightings in the same region.
What witnesses report
- An owl far larger than any real owl
- A woman's face on an owl's body
- Whistling or a crying baby sound at night
- Perching on rooftops
Famous cases
- 1976Rio Grande Valley Big Bird flap revives the legend
South Texas
Seen the La Lechuza?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
